Ecuador’s intelligence chief and five U.S. citizens were among the seven people killed when a tourist helicopter crashed in Kenya’s Samburu County on Aug. 19. The accident, which occurred during a scenic flight over Mount Ololokwe, eliminates a senior security official from President Daniel Noboa’s inner circle and raises immediate consular and safety concerns for U.S. travelers.
At 9:13 a.m. local time (06:13 GMT) the Eurocopter EC130 B4 owned by Lady Lori Helicopters departed the Loisaba Conservancy for a charter over the Ewaso Nyiro area. Kenya’s Civil Aviation Authority confirmed a pilot and six passengers were aboard; all perished. Ecuador’s transport minister Roberto Luque identified the deceased as intelligence chief Michele Sensi‑Contugi and his wife Stephany Hollihan. The U.S. State Department confirmed five American nationals were among the dead.
The loss of Sensi‑Contugi creates a sudden vacancy at the head of Ecuador’s National Intelligence Centre, potentially prompting a rapid appointment by President Noboa amid the country’s security crisis. The U.S. Embassy in Nairobi is providing consular assistance, while Kenyan rescue teams continue battling fire at the remote crash site. The incident also spotlights safety risks for Kenya’s high‑value tourism sector, which relies on charter helicopters for remote wildlife tours.
Sources differ on the chief’s age, reporting him as 42 in some accounts and 44 in others. U.S. victim identification also varies: NBCUniversal named journalist José Alberto Suárez and local media cited restaurateur Roger Duarte, while four additional American victims remain unnamed.